Modern firearms (e.g., handguns, rifles, and shotguns) are frequently used in conjunction with a variety of accessories to enhance the capabilities of the user. Accessories used in conjunction with a firearm may include, for example, mechanical and/or optical gun sights, visual and/or infrared illumination devices, spare battery container, and/or lasers. Due to the variety of accessories available, a user may want to attach multiple accessories to a single firearm. The accessories to be attached to a particular firearm will be based on the purpose for which the firearm is being configured, for example, warfighting, hunting, and/or competitive shooting.
A variety of mounting options have been developed to facilitate the attachment of accessories to various firearms. Typically, a mount allows for the attachment of only one accessory to a firearm. Thus, when attaching two or more accessories to a firearm, multiple mounts are typically needed. Because the real estate on firearms is limited, optimal positioning of the accessories may be limited as a result of their accompanying mounts. Further, the use of multiple mounts increases the overall weight of the firearm to which they are attached.
Furthermore, some existing mounts are designed for a specific accessory, thus, interchangeability of the different accessories is limited.